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Get far out and high up in the Oregon Cascades.
Viewed from the air, the dense carpet of emerald forest clinging to the rugged ridges and deep glacial valleys of the Cascades seems to go on forever. But if you look closely at the south slopes of the tallest mountains you'll be able to pick out long grassy pastures sprinkled with a few squat fir trees. These alpine meadows- the product of periodic fire, poor soil and steep slopes- are crammed with wildflowers and copper and violet tinted grasses for most of July. One of the largest, most scenic and least visited of these high elevation grasslands is Grasshopper Meadow up the North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette River northeast of Oakridge.
Directions: Take I-5 south from Eugene for approximately 3 miles. Take the Oakridge/Klamath Falls exit (Exit 188A). Stay to the left onto Hwy. 58. Drive 58 for approximately 31 miles and take the sweeping left for Westfir. Travel .5 miles across a bridge over the Middle Fork Willamette River and take a left at the T-intersection. Drive 1.7 miles on the Westfir/Oakridge Road. At the four-way intersection (covered bridge on the left), continue straight onto Forest Service Road 19. After 12.7 miles, take a left onto FS Road 1926. After 3 miles, stay to the right on FS 1927. Go 2.1 miles on 1927 and take a right on FS 1929. Stay to the left after a junction in 2 miles; the trailhead is on your right 3.3 miles after this junction. If you haven't already, I recommend grabbing a Willamette National Forest or Middle Fork District map at the Ranger Station on Hwy. 58 next to the Westfir turn.
An air-conditioned vehicle is also highly recommended for hiking excursions to the Cascades in summer. You'll want your windows rolled up on the dusty gravel logging roads.
The first half-mile of level trail winds through a dense stand of incense cedar with a lush ground cover of vanilla leaf, bunchberry, and false Solomon's seal. The forest gradually thins out and opens up into a series of small meadows. About three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead you'll bend north and begin to climb slightly past a gurgling spring of ice-cold water (don't ever drink unfiltered water from the Cascades). There's a rickety old water trough where the spring emerges from the top of a small hill.
These bleached old boards are probably a relic of the first half of the last century when Willamette Valley sheep ranchers would drive sheep up to mountain meadows for the abundant summer grazing. The "hoofed locusts" (John Muir) nearly ruined many of these delicate ecosystems.
From the spring you'll catch your first glimpse of Grasshopper Meadow itself. Among the many wildflowers you'll encounter along the way are purple penstemon and lupine.
After the spring, the trail can be hard to follow. If you lose it, just head for the northeast corner of the giant meadow, where you'll find a trail junction. The path to the northwest will take you across the top of the meadow and on to Grasshopper Mountain. The western trail will take you to Grasshopper Point before it switchbacks steeply downhill towards Chucksney Mountain and Box Canyon Guard Station.
On several occasions I've seen a pair of peregrine falcons hunting over the meadow. If you're really lucky you'll get to see one dive at a small bird or rodent at close to two hundred miles an hour. The sights and the solace of High Cascade meadows are hard to beat.